Chocolates + Almonds

So as some of you may know, and may care, I am training for the Wrightsville Beach marathon this March. Since I’m basically just extending my training from the 21 mile trail race I did in January, I’m trying to spend this time fine tuning my method and packing in a lot of cross training like yoga and biking to make sure that I’m as strong as possible when I cross the starting line St. Patrick’s Day. Part of the fine tuning has been finding the right foods to fuel my runs. Over the summer my body had a terrible time adjusting to running in the heat and I fought a lot of nausea, which lead me to energy chews and sodium tablets for my hydration pack. I also incorporated a lot of granola bars, nuts, and pretzels into my long runs.

Recently I started bringing dark chocolate covered almonds with me on runs to great success. They serve the same purpose as gus or energy chews and they’re a lot more delicious. Not to mention better for me. Instead of a medley of chemicals, salt, flavoring, and gelatin I know what I’m munching on is a whole food with a good balance of fats, calories, and sugar to give me a boost of energy in the short term and fuel for the long haul.

Wanting to ever simplify (and being frugal) I made a batch this week. And when I got lazy and tired of picking the almonds out of the melted chocolate I scooped the rest of the mix into a lined baking pan and made almond bark. Perfect for runs, for afternoon snacks, or as a night time treat.

Chocolate + Almonds

4 cups dark chocolate

2 cups raw almonds (unroasted, unsalted)

Optional: sea salt

In a double boiler melt chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth. Pour almonds in and stir to cover. Line a rack with wax paper and place almonds, separated by a 1/4″ or so, there for a few hours or overnight to dry. To make almond park line a baking sheet with wax paper and pour in, 1/2″ thick. Cover with a handful of raw almonds and let sit to harden.